Thread: otter competing for crappie

Very cool, nature is allways full of suprises. And that otter has good taste in fish.

Monday marks the opening of river otter trapping season in Illinois. For the first time since 1929, trappers will be allowed to trade otter pelts, the most valuable of any animal in Illinois. I read where the state estimates there are between 15,000 to 20,000 otters living in Illinois lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams.

I have seen otters in Evergreen Lake this time of year for the past 4 years. It only seems to be around this time of year for some reason.

I saw one two evenings ago at Bo Wood. I'd never seen one around here. Maybe I'm just not as observant as I thought.

I see them on a regular basis. Behind my house on the Kaskaskia River.

Ive been ice fishing a tree coming off the bank once a few years back when all of the sudden the crappie stopped biting completely after i had been catching the heck out of them. A little while later you could hear something under the bank that turned out to be an otter. Never did catch any crappie out of that spot the rest of the ice season!

Neat Stories!

Dan

Fifteen or so years ago I was fishing a laydown on the Kaskaskia River. It was a large tree with a huge rootwad about half submerged below the surface. I had been standing on top of the wad for a short time when I heard what I thought were puppies whimpering. After several minutes I discovered I was standing on the roof of a beaver's home and what I heard was some beaver kits protected by a very agitated mama. Needless to say, I quickly departed my perch and put some distance between me and mama.